New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-13
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO IL.
THE LONDON STAGE.
ASH wEDSEspAY-PIECrs N yoGuETSoL

a.
nnd.r which London theatres may no" open VI
a. V.anssdav He shes TO give MISS Ellen
larry n halliday, and 30 redeem promise OF e""''
,,ndi,g IN the Birk beck Institute so the Lyceun
,.nai,s closed tomorrow night Miss Terry may
,o,o.. herself and Mr Irving. TO whom rePcso
seeus 40 uncon genial rs TO Mr.. Gladstone, win
. Hamlet" in aid OF the birkbeck oui'ui"s i
The reading will occupy two Lours' ii''o. %.
theatre prices ~ 30 for stalls C"hslue'i"s 80
Mr.. irving has rlavcds Hamlet III Lon"'" ''"e
bnndreds of times this indicates roousV o"""''"N
N mis- power to attract an audience y, "'' -
,,.rsorali,y and his power of reading. There are
etlll people who speak oi MI irving u
u,,,iv n stage manager They ought to go ana near
., aI 20 for themselv ga what hold lie gets o" an
ondicnce without any help whatever from scenery
o,d costume and lime,ight have not u oonpt
,ha, the hall v III be full and the Birkbeck bulio-
,,c fupd pront handsomely By Mr.. lrvlngs good
will.
Lost year was the frs; when theatres Under the
Lord Chamberlain's Jurisdiction were above" "
omen. Mr. Moy Thomas, whose memory lor oc'"iS
~ tenacious describes the result Win the eAcep-
90, ~ tho vcerro and IL Gaiety and perhaps tIe
c,rand tte hvuses were half-cmpty. the failing on
bsinc most marked in the stalls ana boxes TIC
draws the conclusion that the classes WHO '""0
races in advance are less inclined 10 &c lHe' p"S
going on ash Wednesday than the masses "no'
Srooncut the p,t and gallery. Another conclusion
may be drawn or draws itself. and that Is inc ca
+rone slowpess of the British public to prom ny
ANYTHING which is new. They have not been per-
INITIAL 70 go TO the theatre ON Ash Wednesday
They are now permitted and in another year O. TWO
they will ind cut that they are, and VIII make ND
their minds 10 consider the first day OF Lent no
moro sacred than the second or the twenty second
No doul T. how evor, the feeling N Favor Of eccie-
.;,.tical nj sorvauces Is note OF good society in
London There are pOus souls 20 HON going - LILO
rlay or 20 Tails during the forty DAYS o' LEM Is
re,ugl ant There are many NOE VINO SCI apaiV
the whole OF Passion Week tor If not tasting ana
,-evcr thyoprhont. abstinence from vorldly pleas
rres So far Us this springs from rel6ic1s iee'lhg
or even from affection foT thciT Chnrch II deserves
respect 60 far as ID 10 caprice of fashion = de-
serves none tmicht 10 d.fiirult 10 draw the line
hetweeu the motives which dispose the greater
mart Of the fashionable world OF London 70 TINS
mild form of penance. II in dOnuI Il Is aIway SAFE
in England to say that custom IS rule enough.
OfTon1on theatres N general there Is not much
% he said tha, Is novel or important Seldom has
the dr,ia been M a lower ebb II there be really
good niece now playing at any house 40 not
know where II Is, save ana except certain play
not exactly new, entitled The Rivals" by \ not
unknown author named Sheridan. ! Know not
whether there be better sign oil better Gays 10
come than tbs hold which Sheridan and Goldsmith
sill keep on the public. fact still more renarN
able NAV he mentioned Not one piece If no" liaV-
ing in London which has been borrowed a'o"cuiN
from the French. if any thing gond or original
came in the place of these borrow things would
look more hopeful but what is there PantciAime
a. Drury Lane which Is vulgar and dull; c.rcus
a. Covept Garden Faust ut the I-yceum
success without precedent due 10 MI. irvngs ana
Miss Ellen Terrys acting and 10 magnificent
mounting and stage management II when skli' mas
said its lest word Dut not chiefly or CONSIDERABLY
a,e 10 the niece Hard Hit draGs on q the
uayInarket-neither success nor total i"'iuTe'
hut OF DO dramatic mark. Az the -. jane Mrs.
Y,pdal ana Nj. Hare have been playing for three
u,o,tbs in one pf MI PineroG Chinese puzzles; q
MAY not worthy Of such artists At their wits END
to, = new piece. Messrs. Hare and Kendall are
obout TO bring ont IN old one, Tom Iaylors
LADY Claucartv" At the Prince of Waless a
comic opera at the Strand )" musical variety
drama" al the Adelphi the 40Oth performance OF
y The Harbor Lights an Adephi piece and no
more need be SAID Of {. The Vaudeville stage IS
an arena FOR the display Of the geulns OF Mt h"ner
Burhauan whose bad play is, however. prosperous
one snandy Dick" al the Court Theatre brings
lis back to Mr. P.uoro again, who runs pretty
vel in one groove; clever absurditiea "hat
need 10 write of burlesques at the ''a'oty ana al
IN. Avenue. or of such nepttnaes as " The Chnrcb-
varde. at the Olymplcf Nay. or even OF MT
Henry Arthur Jones's Noble Vagabond' at the
Frincess's-the theatre Of which NJ. Wilson Far
retr. when a pennless boy, swore, he tells MS, he
would be manager
Sir Arthur Sullivan and Nj. Gilbert arc engaged
IN the Herculeao and perfectly hopeless task OF eA-
planning 10 French readers of the Figaro their
iok, about lighting French falal" The oke IS
not very deep. but the humor of II Is precisely OF
the kind 20 which the French intelligence - nm
yeruesble. Ii seems simple enough 10 anybody
who 10 French. Here IS . cowaidIy Br!tish taI
who runs away from French fIigate ana excuses
himself in the true spirit of huTcsque by saving
that to fire at French fa.-lal rs like Aitin Of
GAL: and 90 on. The Joke, such as 1t is, h entirely
at the OK pense OF the British tar and the Dritish
flag. TO not one single soul in the Savoy. save to
the correspondent of the Figaro did II Occur that
French honor was impusred. Yet, MI johnson
the correspondent in question, continues 70 declare
that sueh lines must wound the susceptibl'ites Of
INV man who has any regard for the dignity OF his
country Mr. johnson, spite OF lis English name,
is French and perhaps deems it necessary to DO
moro French than other Frenchmen because oil h4s
English name. l have met bat one man whom
thoaqht his equal in Irosaic nsenSihiiity to tie
humorous side OF things and lie was d ScOtcbm an.
One day in his hearing somebody quoted for the
mionth time Sydney Smiths remark about
surgical operation being necessary TO get i Ike
into n Scotchrnan's head. To my scotchman 1t
was new lie reflected upcn It minute, then said ::
- But don't see how the surgical oDeration would
help"
The French however, are sore, and their dislike
of anything English breaks out on every occasion.
Nh johnson attac ked not only MI Gilbert for writ
ing these offensive lines however indifferent buf
SIR Arthur Sullivan fer composing music for them
"however poor" Six Arthur, says the rate Garl'
was les. justified in doing it than anybody because
be asked for and obtained the Cross of the Legion
OF Honor. Well nobody likes 70 be tod that he
asked
Just FOR ribsnd TO STICK IN his coat -"